Exeter
Bettina.Rigg@brownejacobson.com
+44 (0)330 045 2268
Having been a member of the Council of the University of Exeter for nine years (where she was the dual assurance lay lead for HR and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and worked closely with the teams involved in obtaining accreditation with Athena Swan and the HE equality charters), she has a deep understanding of the issues facing the higher education sector and the role of governance. She also works closely with sector associations to help their members to engage with topical legal issues.
Bettina advises clients on operational and strategic issues relating to staff and students and regulatory matters concerning the Office for Students. She has developed a specialism in Equality Act issues. She has spent time on secondment to university in-house legal teams. Bettina is an ADR Group accredited mediator and has mediated a wide range of employment and education matters.
Working with the in-house legal team on a student complaint of disability discrimination – providing key advice on the internal student complaints process and subsequent appeal by the student to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA).
Supporting the disciplinary panel of a chartered university on a student disciplinary matter of alleged sexual misconduct – providing pre-hearing briefing and advice throughout the hearing.
Guiding an overseas higher education provider looking to establish a campus in England through the process for registration with the Office for Students (OfS) including on the quality and consumer protection conditions of registration.
Helping the HR team manage a complex, multi- grievance, discrimination claim from a senior academic – providing advice on internal processes and acting in subsequent multiple tribunal proceedings
“Bettina and the team work as an extension of our in-house legal team – it’s just seamless.”
Browne Jacobson’s education team has again been confirmed as a national powerhouse after securing five Tier 1 rankings relating to Education in the latest edition of Legal 500 and maintaining a Band 1 UK-wide ranking for Education in Chambers & Partners UK 2023.
19 July 2021 marked the lifting of many restrictions within England including the cessation of the need for social distancing, the removal of the legal requirement for face masks, and the end of required homeworking. We look at the guidance on the lifting of restrictions in the context of staff working in the higher education sector.
Assessment arrangements for those due to finish their level 3 studies in 2021 are being finalised at present, to create a system that is deemed to be as fair as possible and to avoid a situation where the grades are felt not to reflect the students’ capabilities and efforts.
Human resource teams in higher education institutions continue to deal with the challenges brought about by coronavirus. In this on-demand video, our experts help you at this critical time to answer the questions that really matter to you.
In what seems like a lifetime ago given the events of the past six months, back in November 2017 the UK Government published its Industrial Strategy White Paper ‘Industrial Strategy: Building a Britain fit for the future’.
